The Quantum Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscope (QSPLEEM) is an Elmitec LEEM III microscope. This unique and highly modifiable low-voltage electron microscope is designed for the study of surfaces and interfaces with a custom liquid helium sample stage cryostat that can reach temperatures as low as ~30 K. The instrument is extremely sensitive to the structural and electronic properties of sample surfaces and is well-suited for in-situ research within a highly controlled sample environment, offering the ability to vary sample temperature and apply fields and biases. The spin-polarization of the electron beam permits imaging of magnetic domain microstructures. This instrument’s adaptability enables a wide range of experiments and the exploration of new ideas.
It can provide:
- Clean vacuum (low 10^-11 torr)
- Variable sample temperature (~30 K to over 2500 K)
- In-situ deposition of films or multilayers (most metals, some oxides), co-deposition of several components
- Adjustable magnetic fields at the sample (within limits)
- Introduction of samples through a loadlock and cleaning within the same UHV system (including low-energy sputtering with noble or reactive gases, heating, and in-situ cleaving)
- Auger electron spectrometer and mass spectrometer for sample and evaporation characterization
Available imaging and spectroscopic modes include:
- Spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM)
- Bright/Dark field low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM)
- Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED)
- Work function mapping
- Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM)
- Thermionic electron emission mapping
- Angle-resolved reflection electron spectroscopy (ARRES)
Specifications
- Electron energy: typically 0 to 200 eV, with an energy width of ~0.1 eV
- Spin-polarization: normally ~30%, adjustable to point in any polar/azimuthal direction
- Spatial resolution: ~15 nm laterally, with atomic resolution along the surface normal
- Angular resolution of magnetization direction: better than 2 degrees
- Time resolution: frame rate up to 20 fps, with an exposure time of several milliseconds per frame required for reasonable signal quality
